Real judgements, distilled
Court judgements broken down into the case type, how the decision played out, and the lesson worth remembering, with the full judgement available as a PDF.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1094
An older qualification must still satisfy the eligibility rules governing the appointment sought. Here, the certificate's early date did not secure reinstatement, and rejection of eligibility should not be confused with a conclusive finding that the certificate was forged.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1095
A party benefiting from a conditional stay must meet its deposit requirement or face enforcement. The additional ₹15 crore deposit secures the pending dispute; it does not settle the land's final compensation or amount to an immediate payment to the landowners.
Criminal Appeal · 2026 INSC 1093
An alleged attempt to kill does not become a lesser offence simply because the victim avoided a fatal injury. Restoring this charge means the accusation must be tried; it does not establish that the accused is guilty.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1090
For the assessment in this case, assistance reducing ordinary manufacturing costs was taxable even though the government wanted to encourage industry. The purpose and actual operation of the particular subsidy mattered more than its general development label.
Criminal Appeal · 2026 INSC 1091
Proof that someone caused a serious injury does not by itself prove the additional ingredients of robbery. A court can substitute a lesser offence supported by the evidence; the sentencing reduction here depended on Appa's particular circumstances.
Special Leave Petition (Civil) · 2026 INSC 1092
Someone challenging an election must ensure that the personal-presentation requirement is met and can be proved. Merely entering the court building does not establish compliance, and a filing defect can end the challenge before the election allegations are examined.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1088
An employee who retires on 30 June may be entitled to the increment that falls due on 1 July after completing a year of service. Authorities that delay paying the amounts due must pay interest after the deadline set by the court.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1089
Recruitment must follow the qualifications stated in the advertisement and the governing Recruitment Rules. A court will not override a merit-based eligibility decision made under those rules merely because the candidate concerned was higher in the written test.
Writ Petition (Criminal) · 2026:DHC:8797
A person who occupied property only because of employment has no independent right to remain once the employment and decree end. Even when a petition fails, courts can make practical arrangements to let a person recover personal belongings.
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Log in to see moreAvtar Singh, badly injured in a motor accident, was awarded compensation by the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal in Delhi, which the Delhi High Court later enhanced. Instead of fixing a lump-sum figure for his future attendant-care costs, the High Court had ordered the insurance company to deposit Rs. 10 lakh with the claimant's bank, from which monthly minimum-wage amounts would be released for an attendant over his lifetime, to be replenished as needed, with any leftover balance returning to the insurer on his death. The insurance company appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing this open-ended, replenishing arrangement was too vague to implement and that compensation should instead be a fixed, one-time amount.
The Supreme Court agreed that the High Court's compensation formula was impractical and uncertain, and that compensation for future needs should be quantified as a definite lump sum rather than an indefinite, replenishing fund. Considering medical evidence that the claimant, now over 55, needs a full-time attendant around the clock and cannot perform daily tasks independently, the Court assessed his realistic long-term needs (attendant costs, medical expenses, and cost of living) and fixed a lump-sum compensation of Rs. 50 lakh, to be paid within six weeks. To protect the claimant, the Court directed that Rs. 45 lakh of this be placed in a fixed deposit with a nationalised bank, with an initial Rs. 5 lakh released for immediate expenses and further withdrawals capped at Rs. 2 lakh at a time as needed. The Court also noted that compensation amounts in such cases must be assessed individually on the facts, rather than mechanically following amounts awarded in other precedents.
In accident compensation cases involving lifelong care needs, courts should award a clear, realistically-assessed lump sum rather than an open-ended or conditional payment scheme, so that both the claimant and the insurer have certainty, while structured payout safeguards (like a fixed deposit with capped withdrawals) can still protect a vulnerable claimant from misuse of the funds.
